This study presents the evolution, present situation, and perspectives of the water supply and sanitation sector in Colombia. The sector is totally decentralized, given local administrators of the 1100 existing municipalities the responsibility of servicing their urban and rural populations. The government participates as a regulator and defies the sector policies. The development of the water sector in Colombia has been considerable in the last 10 years, mostly due to the new institutional and regulatory framework as defined in the Law 142 of 1994 (Ley de Servicios Publicos Domiciliares) and subsequent government decrees and resolutions by the Comision Reguladora del Agua (CRA). As for new tariffs and future of the sector, the CRA has not been able to define the new regulatory framework (nuevo marco regulatorio) which would bring a reduction in tariffs. Such reduction is unnecessary in a country where there is no regulation for the treatment of waste water disposal. This is a background document to the main report : Colombia - Recent economic developments in infrastructure (REDI) - balancing social and productive needs for infrastructure.

This study on micro water supply systems deals with the sustainability of water supply systems in multiple locations. The study was initiated in response to a request from the New Delhi office of the World Bank. The lessons learned from the study and the cases of Colombia, Peru and Ivory Coast are relevant for the design of institutional models and financial resources to supply systems for multiple sites-an option that arises when local water sources are scarce or are unsuitable for human consumption or when a system of pipes is only feasible if a group of small communities put together their resources. This field note provides some initial findings.

In this issue: Data, notes and drops -- National University of Engineering (UNI) investigation project concluded. Canadian Servicio Universitario Mundial (SUM) Canada and Peru's Asociacion de Municipalidades del Peru (AMPE) held a seminar on water and sanitation. Special -- LATINOSAN 2007 Latin-American conference regarding basic water and sanitation as a challenge for living. Lessons and experiences -- a successful case in Uchiza. Tests and debate -- the successful experience of EPILAS in creating human resources in the sector. Water chronology. Publications.

This Interim Strategy Note for Nicaragua proposes to extend the program described in that Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for two more years, taking account of the current government's increased emphasis on growth issues to address poverty and in order to bring the CAS cycle in-line with Nicaragua's election cycle. The need for an Interim Strategy is underscored by growing political weakness of the Executive which may preclude new budget support (in the form of Poverty Reduction Support Credits) until the government is able to secure a stronger political mandate.

This paper is the result of a first exploration into the potential effects of sectoral policies on the water sector in Mexico. Specifically, this paper explores the possible impact on the water sector by sectoral policies regarding: legal and regulatory elements, organizations and actors, performance, information, property rights and water markets, transaction costs, economic aspects, technical aspects, environmental aspects, social aspects, and strategic and political aspects.

Honduras has collected promising and interesting experiences in common disinfection of the water supply for consumption in rural and urban communities. Honduras has been responsible for introducing and developing community technologies such as chlorination by tablet and by solar disinfection (SODIS) to substantially reduce infant deaths caused by water-borne diseases. This document includes the following headings: presentation; description of the projects; the challenge of water disinfection in Honduras; water disinfection methods in public systems; water disinfection methods at the household level; and SODIS pilot projects in Honduras.

This is a sectoral environmental assessment for the Ecuador Second Rural and Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation (PRAGUAS) Project analyzes the legal framework, which targets rural water and sanitation investments to the rural areas of cantons with populations of up to 50,000 inhabitants, and provides technical assistance to delegate these services and improve sustainability of solid waste investments in urban and rural areas. This report discusses the legal framework at the national level, analyzes sector policies and regulations, agency responsibilities and institutional capacity; focuses on typical environmental problems in the water and sanitation sector as illustrated by case and statistics; proposes an action plan to strengthen the environmental component of the project, including a series of programs that optimize environmental management; notes compliance with the public consultation requirements set in the terms of reference, and attaches annexes comprising the contractual terms of reference for the management plan and model, service operation and maintenance of water and sanitation services, among other items.

This is a sectoral environmental assessment for the Ecuador Second Rural and Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation (PRAGUAS) Project analyzes the legal framework, which targets rural water and sanitation investments to the rural areas of cantons with populations of up to 50,000 inhabitants, and provides technical assistance to delegate these services and improve sustainability of solid waste investments in urban and rural areas. This report discusses the legal framework at the national level, analyzes sector policies and regulations, agency responsibilities and institutional capacity; focuses on typical environmental problems in the water and sanitation sector as illustrated by case and statistics; proposes an action plan to strengthen the environmental component of the project, including a series of programs that optimize environmental management; notes compliance with the public consultation requirements set in the terms of reference, and attaches annexes comprising the contractual terms of reference for the management plan and model, service operation and maintenance of water and sanitation services, among other items.

Water, sanitation and hygiene are at last beginning to receive the recognition they deserve from the highest political levels. The Secretary-General of the United Nations has named water and sanitation as the first of the five key areas in which to improve the lives of all humans while protecting the global environment. Water, sanitation and hygiene are explicitly or implicitly essential for the achievement of all the Millennium Development Goals. Within Africa, Ministers responsible for water have formed a standing alliance, the African Ministerial Conference on Water (AMCOW); several other regional groups, such as the Africa Water Task Force and the African Water Forum, are increasingly active. As the Water Ambassador for Africa, invited by the African Development Bank and endorsed by the African Water Task Force (at the Accra conference on Water and Sustainable Development in Africa in April 2002) and the AMCOW conference in Abuja, I am delighted to introduce this series of Field Notes and Leaflets. We face the formidable task of assisting all Africans to achieve access to safe and convenient water and sanitation services and to adopt hygienic behaviors - a task that requires both committed leadership and skilled professional work. The Water and Sanitation Program-Africa Region, with Jon Lane as the series editor, has researched and produced this series of documents to help achieve that task. The series brings together examples of interesting and innovative work in water, sanitation and hygiene from across our continent. The range of work described reflects the depth of local knowledge and experience that Africa can draw upon in solving its own problems. I commend these Field Notes and Leaflets to all African politicians, leaders and professionals concerned with water, and to all our colleagues around the world working with us for the benefit of African people.

This report presents the proceedings of the SWAp ("Sector Wide Approach") Workshop in Water Supply and Sanitation held in Montelimar, Nicaragua, May 19-20, 2005. The report describes the discussion on the conceptual framework and principal components of the SWAp approach, and general lessons learned thus far. The proceedings then examined the SWAp programs as applied in Nicaragua and Bolivia in particular. The workshop participants formed groups to develop a 100-day plan of action for implementing a SWAp in the water and sanitation sector.